Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Coming around on “Blurred View” now. I can def hear the trip-hop others hear, but I also hear a little Billie Eilish in it too.

morrisp otm though, this is a great car album!

Also, what's the instrument making that rubbery, fluctuating sound in "Simulation Swarm"? Is that the fretless bass ufo mentioned above?

― alpine static,

yeah, i assume overdubbed as there's a standard bassline as well

They were great tonight in Bristol. I'd never seen them before.

I don't know what it is that strikes me about Lenker's disposition in that it isn't one of someone who plays for enjoyment or for financial gain, rather because her life depends on it. It feels like she's singing because she has to, like there's an important purpose to it beyond mere entertainment.
So I can see why some might not be on board with that. Why would you want to listen to someone who sings as though they're not doing it for pleasure, but because they have to?
I think that's possibly why some people have a problem with her voice. I mean, I really like it, but others have described her voice as pitchy and amateurish; and perhaps they have got a point but for me it's about her delivery and the emotions and passions being expressed.

So anyway, yes the gig.
Lots of brand new material, even a song they'd written the night before apparently. Also another one that just repeated the line "I'm happy with you / Happy with you" followed by another repeated line for the chorus. Wondering now with songs like "Heavy Bend" if the next release is going to have lots of these kinds of repeating mantra.

As for more recognisable material, there were a fair few curveballs and odd song selections. They played 'Blurred View', it worked really well live. We got 'Not' and 'Paul' and 'Shark Smile' but not much off UFOF save for a stripped down version of 'Terminal Paradise'. Someone shouted for 'Mythological Beauty' which would have been great but they didn't play it. Instead we got things like 'Black Diamonds', 'Wake Me Up To Drive', the title track of the new album, and quite a few other deep cuts that I personally wouldn't have selected but hey, it's their show.
The highlight was of course 'Spud Infinity', the one song where Lenker looked like she was genuinely having fun. No fiddle or jaw harp meant she got the crowd to sing the violin hook and it worked

so, going back to the 8 songs that were released before the full album came out. there are two things i'm curious about. the first if anyone thinks they constitute kind of a digestible single LP (36 minutes), a different version of how they could have went about choosing the final songs for a shorter album.
or, are those just the songs they wanted to put out ahead of time?

secondly, and, this may just be an artifact of me looking at this on spotify, but the way it's presented there, each one of the "singles" they released included the previous singles for the album as well. so the first single, "Little Wings / Sparrow", was:

1. Little Wings
2. Sparrow

and the second single, for Certainty, was:

1. Certainty
2. Little WIngs
3. Sparrow

and so on. for each new song, they'd tack another song on the front, until, after the last single ("Simulation Swarm") it looks like this:

1. Simulation Swarm
2. No Reason
3. Spud Infinity
4. Time Escaping
5. Change
6. Certainty
7. Little Things
8. Sparrow

so if you look up the single for Simulation Swarm, it gives you that playlist. and of course, Simulation Swarm comes across here as an absolutely perfect opener, and the 8 songs flow so perfectly from one to another. but then again, i think you could just randomly choose any 8 of the 20 songs from a full album and plop them into a playlist, and it would probably flow very well, because when you 20 songs that rule everything kind of flows imo

anyway, curious if anyone had any thoughts about those 8 songs released beforehand

they performed Spud Infinity at the show I went to back in fall 2019 and I found it strange and silly, very unexpected direction compared to the gloom and mystery of UFOF and Two Hands

I liked the 8 pre-release songs, loved some of them, but I feel like hearing them in the context of the full album gave each of them more weight. It was unclear if this was going to be, like, a mostly country-folk album with a few rockers (like Two Hands) or (as it turned out to be) something weirder and more varied.

the hyperbole in this thread truly puts the ilx Autechre street team to shame, which is quite a feat

the key to hyperbole is to take it past previous limits

sorry for loving this band

I liked the 8 pre-release songs, loved some of them, but I feel like hearing them in the context of the full album gave each of them more weight.

otm

If loving Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is wrong, I don't want to be right

Sorry for loving hyperbole

There is definitely a lot of hyperbolic praise about this band out there, but I don't see it itt - most of this is just uninhibited enthusiasm, which I love to see on ILM as it happens rarely enough to this degree.

I honestly dont see that much hyperbole ... everyone seems to be taking care to like, temper all their praise I feel at some level, because we're so used to raw basic enthusiasm that oversells stuff, so people *undersell* this, partic on this thread... 'but better than that sounds'-type praise

I’ve recommended this album a half a dozen times and everyone is pleasantly surprised. From my metal head coworker to my 60 yr old uncle. It’s very likable

I haven’t had a reaction like this to a record for a truly long time - maybe a decade or more? It felt instantly classic as soon as I cued it up and listened the first time - like the first time I heard The Band’s self-titled or I dunno Blood on the Tracks or Ziggy Stardust - most of the songs land their first punches and all of them sink in eventually. It’s one of those rare albums - like some REM records - where I can’t pick a favourite because every song is, while it’s playing. I dunno the last time that happened to me - maybe Kill The Moonlight? That record is almost 20 years old. So forgive me for gushing a bit.

Also bite my butt :P

(Now, I mean, I’m not gonna make any great claims for being the most voracious new-music listener out there. I’m not saying this is the BEST album since KtM [I think Spoon might have made better albums than KtM since] [and my god there are whole worlds of music from the period that make this little slice of Gen-X heaven seem wee and parochial] but sometimes something just hits your sweet spot and you KNOW)

From my metal head coworker

I saw M4tt P1nfield in a Mexican restaurant last week – if he had walked by me when he got up to take a leak, my plan was to ask him how he likes this album (but the restrooms were the opposite direction).

I’m trying to imagine I’m Matt P1nf13ld and what I would do in that situation

i love this band and i love this record

Mmmm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Tna3qg1t4

Due to be at Shepherd's Bush tomorrow for my first big gig since the old covid started. How was the masking - anyone on the first two nights know? Are people asked for test evidence to go in? I really want to go - a bit nervy.

Flower Of Blood = Bloodflowers influence yes? not sure how i hadn't made that connection yet.

enjoyed the SBE gig a lot, despite it being one of those packed gigs where if you're downstairs and need a piss, you almost certainly won't be able to return to anywhere with a decent view.

also enjoy the Spud Infinity tshirts (but not enough to buy one at £35) and 'Deeper Understanding' / 'Love And Anger' both being on the pregig mixtape over the P.A.

I can't stop thinking about this "Happy With You / Poison Shame" song they played

I finally reached the point where my brain no longer distinguishes between the pre-release songs and the other tracks; though a few of the songs still catch me by "surprise" when I listen to the album (I haven't totally internalized/digested the track list)... e.g., I tend to forget about "12000 Lines"; it's pleasant getting reacquainted when it comes up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdflBikWDiE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37gYMhMM_6g

here's two of the new songs

Holy shit - "Happy With You" is amazing

("Forgiver" could be the new generation's "Wagon Wheel")

meanwhile – I am Big Thief's personal stylist, AMA

This record grew on me a lot. Quite sure this will be considered classic cornerstone of folk/country, same as Neil Young 70's work etc

Those new songs are both great. Speaking of Neil Young, "Forgiver" has a specifically Rust Never Sleeps vibe.

Sorry to play this game, but what does “Happy With You” remind you of? As with many of their songs, it’s feels very comfortable & familiar, but in a way I can’t quite pin down…

Country rock iirc

Hahah i’m joking don’t get mad

Are you confusing me w/UMS? lol

It feels like something early-‘90s “alternative”… especially the “Why do I need to explain myself?” part, coming out of the chorus; that chord change… Maybe it’s an R.E.M. thing.

bends-era radiohead is what comes to mind a bit

but with a little sex in it.

what’s it gonna taaaaaaake

the fuck is your problem moka?

Lol

It reminds me of Cranberries. But yeah, definitely something from the early 90s

Seriously I said I was wrong. I don't recall having any kind of beer or bad feelings with you. What do you want from me? Obviously I'll get off this thread from now on.

Don’t! It was a running gag and I was joking, but ok I’ll stop if it makes you angry.

Flower Of Blood = Bloodflowers influence yes? not sure how i hadn't made that connection yet.

― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz)

Ok re-listening with this in mind and the bassline does sound very Gallop-y. Reminds me more of Wish-era cure than Bloodflowers but yeah, it could be a direct Cure reference in the title.

UMS: don’t be mad, I wasn’t starting a beef with you. I wasn’t trying to be mean I was joking.

Seriously I said I was wrong. I don't recall having any kind of beer or bad feelings with you. What do you want from me? Obviously I'll get off this thread from now on.

*OMD

*UMS

i like the experimental stretch that follows “little things,” but when “red moon” comes on, it feels like going home.

To Grandma!